Electrode housing



May 8, 1934. s, H UGH 1,958,304

ELECTRODE HOUS ING Filed Nov. 4, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 8, w s HQUGH ELECTRODE H OUS ING Filed NOV. 4, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jllll Fatented 1,958,304 7 ELECTRODE HOUSING William S. Bough, Kokomo, Ind.

Application November 4, 1933, Serial No. 696,708

4Claims.

This invention relates to housings for the electrodes of luminous tubes, commonly called neon tubes, and among other objects, aims to provide a housing so constructed and arranged that it will receive an electrode, even though the glass tubing may bent bent or formed imperfectly, and will substantially completely close the space between the interior of the housing and the electrode, so that practically all moisture, dust, insects and other matter, which if permitted to accumulate may cause short circuits, are kept out of the housing. The housing also permits relative movements of the tubing responsive to vibration, wind, etc.

1n the accompanying drawings showing two embodiments of the invention,-

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one form of housing with an electrode therein, the housing being shown attached to a sign panel, only part of which is illustrated;

Fig. 2 is a diametric sectional view of another form of housing, likewise shown attached, and enclosing an electrode;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the seat for the frustoconical sleeve which seals the housing adjacent the electrode;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the housing of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the housing of Fig. 6, showing the collar end which is attached to the sign panel;

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the, main body of the same housing, showing the surfaces which receive the collar;

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan or end elevation of the collar which positions the housing on the sign panel; and

Fig. 10 is an elevation of the sleeve employed with the housing of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, and for the, time being disregarding Figs. 2 and 5, as this form of housing will be described later, there is shown a fragment of a sign panelll and one end of a luminous tube 12 having the usual electrode 13. The improved housing H is rigidly attached at one end to the under face-of the sign panel, and receives substantially the entire electrode 13. At its inner end, the housing H has a terminal 14 to which a lead wire (not shown) conducts alternating current at several thousand volts, and a coil spring wire 15 electrically connects the terminal 14 to the extremity of the electrode 13. All this is conventional in the art to which the invention pertains.

The housing 11 comprises a hollow porcelain body 16 which has lateral openings 1'7, an end wall 18 through which terminal 14 passes, and

an annular wall 19 which with end wall 18 pro vides a recess protecting the connection between the coil spring 15 and the inner end of the electrode. The opposite end of the housing body 16 has an internal, annular seat 20 (Figs. 1 and 8) which is arcuately curved in cross-section to receive the outer curved surfaces of the annular seating disk 21 (Figs. 1, 3 and 4).

The seating disk 21 has an internal flange 22 which provides a seat for the inner end of a frusto-conical sleeve 23 (to be described and shown separately in Fig. 10). At the other end of the seating disk, an annular shoulder 24 is provided for an annular centering flange 25 projecting from the inner end of the attaching collar 26. The seating disk has diametrically opposite notches 27 for receiving tongues 28 on the inner end of collar 26, so that said collar is not only seated on disk 21 but is prevented from turning relative thereto. The collar 26 has another annular flange 29 (Fig. 9) concentric with flange 25 but outside the same, and seating on a shoulder 30 (Fig. 8) provided on the end of body 16. To prevent rotation of the parts, the shoulder 30 has tongues31 fitting gaps 32 in the flange 29. The described construction insures proper assembly of the parts and permits their uniting by means of a little porcelain cement, which, as

shown in Fig. 1, may be placed between the end of body 16 and collar 26 as well asbetween collar 26 and the seating disk 21. When'such cement has hardened, the attaching collar, the seating disk and the housing body will be immovably secured together, yet may be separated if desired, without injury.

As the collar 26 overhangs the sleeve 23, having a restricted central bore 33 and an internal conical surface 34 (surrounding the upper end of sleeve 23 but spaced therefrom), said sleeve is held loosely within the housing and may be moved longitudinally between flange 22 and surface 34, and may also rock or be moved radially, as its outside surface is more or less spherical. The sleeve 23 is provided with an outside annular bead, best shown in Fig. 10, which prevents the sleeve from turning over and thus maintains the small open end of the sleeve toward the front end of the housing. a

The attaching collar 26 secures the housing to the sign panel by means of screws 35 having nuts 36 which are passed laterally through side openings 37, the screws extending through perforations 38. The heads of the screws being outside the sign panel, when they are tightened they will pull the housing up tight against the rear wall of the panel. A little cement 39 will be inserte to seal the openings 37.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5, the housing H comprises a hollow porcelain body 40 having an integral annular flange 41 which fits outside the sign panel around the opening therein. A coil spring fastener 42, is held in grooves 42 on the outside of the body 40 near the flange 41, and engages the irmer surface of the sign panel, to hold the housing thereon by spring pressure. This is substantially the construction claimed in my pending application, Ser. No.

- 634,589 filed September 23, 1932.

Within the central bore of the body, a frustoconical, porcelain sleeve 43 is placed, and the parts are so proportioned and dimensioned that said sleeve may move freely laterally to a limited extent, 1. e., it may rock slightly. To hold the sleeve within the housing, an integral lug 44 projects radially outwardly from the large or outer end of the sleeve and the housing has a notch 45 into which said lug fits loosely. A dab of porcelain cement 46 will hold the sleeve against longitudinal movement. After the parts are assembled, but before the cement has set, the sleeve will be moved so as to make a space between the cement and the lug, thus insuring freedom of movement of the sleeve.-

Both forms of housings attain the abovespecified objects, as will now be clear. In both, the interior of the housing is practically sealed from the outside by an insulating sleeve which snugly fits the electrode and which may be moved to a limited extent in any direction within the housing, hence is adaptable to variations in the tubing.

Obviously, the invention may be embodied in various constructions neither shown nor described.

Having described two housings embodying the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. An electrode housing comprising, in combination, a hollow body made of insulating material and open at one end to receive an electrode; a frusto-conical sleeve also of insulating material loosely carried within the body near the mouth of the electrode housing; and means at the mouth of the electrode. to prevent movement of the sleeve' through any substantial distance longitudinally of the housing while permitting slight rocking or lateral movements; said sleeve being adapted to snugly fit around the electrode when in the housing.

2. An electrode housing comprising, in combination, a hollow body made of insulating material and open at one end to receive an electrode;

a frusto-conical sleeve also of insulating material loosely carried within the body near the mouth of the electrode housing; said sleeve having a lug which projects radially outwardly and the body having a notch into which the lug fits loosely; and means to hold the lug in the notch, such means permitting lateral movements of the sleeve; said sleeve being adapted to contact with the electrode which it surrounds when the electrode is inside the housing.

3. An electrode housing comprising, in combination, a hollow insulating body adapted to receive the electrode; an annular seating disk within the body having an inturned flange; an attaching collar secured to the body and having means facilitating the attachment of the housing to a sign panel; and a frusto-conical hollow sleeve loosely held between the collar and the flange of the seating disk and adapted to contact with the electrode at the inner surface of its smaller end.

4. An electrode housing comprising, in combination, a hollow insulating body adapted to receive the electrode; an annular seating disk within the body having an inturned flange; an attaching collar secured to the body and having means facilitating the attachment of the housing to a sign panel; said collar having a frustoconical surface on the inside wall; a frustoconical hollow sleeve loosely held between the collar and the seating disk and movable between the frusto-conical surface on the collar and the inturned flange and adapted'to snugly fit around an electrode thrust into said housing.

WILLIAM S. HOUGH. 

